To Duck Or Not To Duck
by Lana Langston
Summary: During their honeymoon in Paris, Tessa Gray and James Carstairs reminisce about the days of their youth living in Victorian London. One memory in particular brings back fond memories: their brilliantly ingenious plan to prank Will Herondale in the spring of 1878.
1. February 2009

This past January I embarked on an INTENSE 3 month binge-read of The Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Device series, and The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. These **ten** books were so wonderfully addictive and sucked me deeper into the intriguing universe of the Shadowhunter Chronicles. I don't know how I went so long without ever reading these fantastic books!

This is my **FIRST** The Infernal Device story. I got inspiration for this fanfiction story while casually chatting to my friend about the fascinating character dynamic in The Infernal Device books _especially_ between Tessa, Jem, and Will. Also, I was always rather amused by Will Herondale's distrust and immense fear of ducks.

This first chapter will provide important character background for the main and minor characters involved in this story. Also, it helps to set the backdrop for the next chapter.

 _ **I do not own any of these characters! Warning: There are many HUGE spoilers from City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments Book 6) and The Infernal Devices book series by Cassandra Clare in this fanfiction! This is rated T for infrequent usage of mild language.**_

 ** _The first chapter revolves mainly around Tessa and Jem! Now you are ready to start reading To Duck or Not To Duck!_**

 ** _I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback. Hope you enjoy my story! R &R!_**

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 _February 2009_

 _London, England_

Theresa Gray wouldn't call herself a hopeless romantic. Everyone says you're lucky if you find one true soulmate during your lifetime. Apparently she was very lucky. Tessa had found two true soulmates during her 147 years of immortal life. William Herondale and James Carstairs.

Years of loneliness had made her a borderline cynic to the joys of the world. She dedicated most of her immortal life to become a well-respected scholarly warlock at the Spiral Labyrinth. The life of an immortal warlock was filled with long stretches of solitude. She had watched her children and their descendant live and eventually die, regardless if it was unnaturally or naturally, over a century. Isolation was her way of shutting out all her pain. Thankfully there was another immortal who understand how the overwhelming emotional pain of solitude took its toll eventually. Brother Zachariah.

Excluding the Silent Brothers, there were only a handful of people who knew the true identity of Brother Zachariah. James Carstairs, who many called Jem, experienced more suffering than most Shadowhunters. His parents, Jonah Carstairs and Ke Wen Yu, were brutally murdered by the Greater Demon Yanlou at the Shanghai Institute in 1873. This left an emotional and physical scar on him. The Great Demon Yanlou relentlessly tortured young Jem by poisoning him with yin fen in front of his parents. When the Shanghai Enclave rescued him, James Carstairs had become addicted to yin fen. This "illness" is the reason he was much weaker and paler than other boys his age. No one knew how long he would live. Small daily doses of yin fen were the only reason he was still alive.

Jem's only living relative left was his father's younger brother, Elias Carstairs. Uncle Elias took his young nephew into his care. Elias spent most of the year in Alicante. Alicante was the capital of Idris, the home country of Shadowhunters. His uncle persistently encouraged Jem to continue his Shadowhunter training in Idris, but Jem refused to live the rest of his life isolated in Alicante. He desired to live in the real world among the mundanes!

Six months after his parents' death, his uncle brought him to the London Institute run by Charlotte Fairchild and her soon-to-be husband, Henry Branwell. Jem fought to stay alive every day. Since he was twelve years old, his close friend and parabatai, William Herondale, was an integral part of Jem's life. Will gave him the strength to endure through his "illness". James Carstairs resided at the London Institute since he was twelve years old until late 1878. The yin fen finally took an excessive physical toll on Jem's strength almost killing him. Instead of joining the crypt of other deceased Shadowhunters' ashes in the Silent City, he made the heartbreaking decision to become a Silent Brother. James Carstairs no longer existed. Brother Zachariah was born. Brother Zachariah was uniquely different from his fellow Silent Brothers. He retained more of his humanity than his fellow Silent Brothers.

Tessa and William Herondale never lost touch with Jem. Brother Zachariah was very much a part of their lives even after becoming a Silent Brother. Most importantly he was present during significant milestones in their life. Will and Tessa's marriage ceremony. The birth of their two children, James and Lucie Herondale. Will and Tess wanted to name their firstborn son after Jem. The First Runes ritual for their James and Lucie. The parabatai ceremony for their eldest son and Matthew Fairchild. The parabatai ceremony for their youngest daughter and Cordelia Carstairs. Last but not least, Will's funeral ceremony. Brother Zachariah has seen the full circle of life in the approximately 60 years of Will and Tessa's marriage. Tessa Gray willingly chose to remain single after the death of beloved soulmate and husband, William Herondale, in 1937 at the age of 76. Will had lived a very fulfilling life as a Shadowhunter, a father to his two children, and most importantly a loving husband to Tessa.

Jem and Tess promised to secretly rendezvous one a year on Blackfriars Bridge for one hour to reconnect with each other. Time was not a problem for immortals. Tessa Gray, Brother Zachariah, and Magnus Bane saw the gift immortality as simultaneously a blessing and curse.

It turns out destiny wasn't constantly conspiring against Tessa Gray's happiness. One year ago, Tessa arrived early for her annual rendezvous with Brother Zachariah on Blackfriars Bridge. She was truly in for a huge surprise. She eagerly scanned the throngs of people for a figure covered from head to toe in a black hooded cloak. No one of that description showed up. Instead, a youthful boy in his early twenties stopped a few feet in front of her. Warm brown eyes with flecks of gold affectionately gazed into her piercing grey eyes. The boy she fell in love with centuries ago had returned to her. For some inexplicable reason, Jem was completely cured of his "illness" which was completely burned out by heavenly fire. The only physical remainder of his yin fen addiction was the one streak of silver in his wavy midnight black hair. Fate was giving them a chance to finally be together! Tessa Gray was no longer alone in this world when her soulmate, James Carstairs, was by her side. She would deeply cherish the time with her now mortal Jem.

A month after their annual rendezvous, Jem surprised his true love by proposing to Tessa on Valentines' Day. Blackfriars Bridge seemed like the perfect location for their intimately small wedding. They decided to have their wedding on Valentine's Day a year later after his proposal. It was a terribly cheesy date, yet Tessa was always a slight hopeless romantic at heart.

Hardly any of their old friends were still alive with the one exception of Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Both of them particularly Jem had chance to forge new friendships with the residents of the New York Institute over the past few years. The chaotic nightmare of events surrounding the diabolical Valentine Morgenstern, estranged spouse to Jocelyn Fray and Clary's biological dad, and later his psychotic half-human and half-demon son, Sebastian Morgenstern, brought Brother Zachariah in frequent interaction with the Institute. Also, Jem was reunited with Church, who had been residing at New York Institute almost 131 years. Church, an immortal cat, was only affectionate towards Jem since he rescued it from the Dark Sister's sinister black magic ritual back in 1878. Jem insisted on Church being the ring bearer in their wedding ceremony. Tessa couldn't deny him that one small thing despite the immortal cat never showing on ounce of affection to her.

Magnus Bane had cast a temporary invisible shield around the perimeter of the location of their wedding ceremony. Any mundane passing through that region on Blackfriars Bridge would be gently catapulted to the other side of the barrier. Mundanes had not a blessed clue there was an intimate nuptial occurring. Perks of being part of the Shadow World. Jocelyn Frey and Maryse Lightwood insisted on planning and coordinating everything for the reception following the wedding ceremony. They didn't want the bride-to-be to too stressed out when planning her wedding festivities. The weather was beautifully sunny on the day of Tessa and Jem's nuptials. A perfect day for a wedding! Of course, Magnus plentifully provided all the glitter and confetti for the merry festivities with a mere snap of his fingers.

Magnus lavishly gifted them with a two week honeymoon to Paris. The warlock insisted Tessa accept his grand wedding gift because she deserved happiness after 72 years of solitude since Will's death. Since they first met in 1878, Magnus had always been a dear friend and a constant in Tessa's immortal life. Magnus Bane and Tessa Gray had found true happiness with their soulmate within the same year. Magnus Bane and Alexander Lightwood were blissfully together after all the trials and tribulations in their relationship over the past few years. They were both boldly pursuing their happiness with their mortal Shadowhunter lovers.

Newly married Theresa and James Carstairs departed for Paris few hours after their wedding reception ended. Magnus offered to transport them to their honeymoon location via Portal, but they kindly turned down his offer. Jem wanted to have some mundane experiences in his life. When you lived more than a hundred years surrounded by Shadow World elements, mundane ways of life was a pleasantly refreshing change of pace.

Will had taken Tessa to Paris a few times when they were married. After Will's death in 1937, Magnus invited her to his French chateau on the outskirt of Paris. 'Death do us part' of wedding vows would never apply to warlocks. Magnus comforted his close friend during this hard time by showing Tessa how to have a blast in luxurious Parisian style. She hadn't returned to Paris since 1937 for it brought back painful memories. Honeymooning with her new husband to Paris, it would create new cheerful memories to overshadow the depressing association Paris still held.

Tessa and Jem casually strolled around Paris the day after arriving there. She wanted to do touristy things with her new husband. Magnus had extensively shown her around Paris, but the city has drastically changed since 1937. She loved exploring the narrow, winding Parisian streets. They stumbled across incredible French cafés and restaurants.

Immortality granted you the ability to be a walking encyclopedia of stories about various points in history. Tessa recounted of her frequent stays at the Los Angeles Institute to the keep an eye on her daughter's descendants, the Blackthorn lineage. The Carstairs and Blackthorn families intermingled at the Los Angeles Institute. Jem didn't have the luxury to often check up on any of his living descendants when he was a Silent Brother. Jem told of his intriguing experiences working closely with the New York Institute. Robert and Maryse Lightwoods along with Hodge Starkweather were exiled there as lenient punishment after their direct involvement in the Uprising. He spoke enthusiastically about the "wildcards" Clary Fray and Jace Herondale. Tessa lost any trace of hope her late husband's line wasn't completely erased after Stephen Herondale died dishonorably in the Uprising. Then, a shocking discovery uncovered that Jace Herondale was the son of Stephen and Celine Herondale. This revelation overjoyed Tessa. There were still living descendants from Will's lineage. Tessa had only visited New York a few times to visit her close friend, Magnus, in Brooklyn. It was ironic how Tessa knew more about Jem's living descendants, while Jem knew more about Tessa's living descendants.

Of course there were stories which collectively involved both of them. Jem and Tessa fondly reminisced about the good times they had as young adults living in London during the Victorian era. James and Tessa Carstairs would never run out of stories to tell each other their entire married life. Their tumultuously complex circumstances had never extinguished the consuming flames of their passionate love over the centuries.

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 _ **I immensely appreciate you supporting my story! Stay tune...the next chapter is a flashback to Spring 1878!**_


	2. Spring 1878

**_I've been intensely working on this TID fanfic since I started writing it five days ago. A majority of the story is written with only a little more left to complete To Duck or Not To Duck. Initially, I decided to have one long chapter but changed my mind. I'm going to split up the long chapter into two separate chapters. _**

**_This provides further backstory to get a feel for the atmosphere of Victorian London during 1878. There are significant character dynamics that must be understood amongst the The Infernal Devices characters._**

 ** _This chapter mainly focuses on Tessa Gray, William Herondale, and James Carstairs...but there are MANY important supporting characters involved also!_**

 ** _I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! Hope you enjoy my story! R &R!_**

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 _Spring 1878_

 _London, England_

Weeks after the ambush of the Magister's automatons, everyone at the London Institute was still shaken up. Tessa Gray felt _especially_ guilty for putting everyone else's life in danger. She was the reason Agatha, their cook, and Thomas, their driver and footman, are dead! Axel Mortmain, who was revealed to be the Magister, was a ruthlessly manipulative bastard. How dare warp her kind, loving brother, Nathaniel Gray. She _never_ expected her older brother to betray his own sister. Her affection towards Nate blinded her from the truth right under their nose. His knife of betrayal had left an indelible scar in her heart, but she still loved him nonetheless. Family was complicated.

Charlotte and Henry consistently reminded her to stop beating herself up for the whole Mortmain situation. It was easier said than done though. The intense battle with the automatons had depleted much of Jem's strength. Whenever Will wasn't sulking around the library or in his room, he was always seen at Jem's bedside.

William Herondale was a fascinating mystery to Tessa _especially_ in his talent of drastically switching moods almost instantaneously like a light switch. He had resumed his daily activities but with an overwhelming sullen manner. Tessa made many persistent attempts to comfort him, but Will _intentionally_ avoided her entirely for almost two weeks. She only saw Will sporadically passing him in the corridors and sometimes during meal times. Will anxiously scoured every Downworlder hang outs in London to acquire more _yin fen_ for his _parabatai_. Half of the Jem's stash was depleted just to stabilize him. Emotional distraught was written all over his elegantly chiseled face. Dark circles hung under his usually piercing blue eyes except there was a dull glaze to them lately. His mop of black hair was extremely unkempt. His clothes were full of wrinkles and creases. It absolutely broke Tessa's heart to see him like this.

Charlotte and Henry's attempts to soothe Will's tormented conscience _epically_ failed. Jem's condition had stabilized but he was extremely weakened. William spent hours sitting next to his _parabatai_ in almost complete silence. No one dared to ask him to move. Will personally delivered all of Jem's meals directly to his room. Jem went in and out of consciousness for another week in his weakened state. One and a half weeks later, the Silent Brothers lifted the prescribed treatment of bedrest for James Carstairs. If this news delighted Will, you couldn't tell from his morose facial expressions reflecting his consuming anguish. If there was one person who could get through William Herondale it was his close friend and _parabatai_. Jem was their truly desperate last effort to pull Will out of his depths of dark despair! While it was talking to a dense brick wall initially, Will slowly let Jem soothe the tumultuous emotional storm brewing inside of him. James Carstairs was the closest thing to a blood brother William Herondale had. Jem was his _greatest_ sin. Otherwise, he allowed no one else to get that close to him. William Herondale was a baffling conundrum to everyone else except his cherished _parabatai_ , James Carstairs.

William steadily began to socialize with the other London Institute residents. He was mostly back to his usual brooding self _except_ the lingering remnants of his wallowing despair in his deep blue eyes. Their Will was slowly returning to them. The strong bonds between two people bearing _parabatai_ runes spoke immense volumes. There was a running joke among Shadowhunters that when they got married the spouse's _parabatai_ came with the matrimonial package. One big happy family.

Charlotte and the house staff including their temporary replacement footman, Ralph, frantically scrambled around the London Institute in preparation to entertain heads of Institutes from different continents. São Paolo Institute, Shanghai Institute. Moscow Institute, Mumbai Institute. Paris Institute. Oslo Institute. Los Angeles Institute. Melbourne Institute. Manila Institute. Cardiff Institute. Cairo Institute. Those were just a few of the Institutes invited. There was more than enough space to house all their guests at the London Institute. Consul Josiah Wayland convened an emergency meeting with all the significant Institutes heads in London in a week's time.

Charlotte was literally at her wit's end barely grasping onto her sanity. Charlotte's husband, Henry, was completely and blissfully oblivious to her desperate requests of helping to prepare the place for their guests. He often locked himself up in his laboratory, which was located in the crypt. Henry busily worked on his plethora of insane invention ideas. No one truly appreciated his brilliant genius. She basically threateningly recruited Jessamine to help her and the staff in preparations.

Tessa willingly offered her assistance because she had extra time on her hands. Also, there was still strained, awkward tension whenever she was in a room completely alone with Will. Neither made effort to strike up pleasantry conversation when none of the house residents nor house staff were in the same room with them. The massive Institute library was her favorite place of comforting solitude from the hectic bustle of Nephilim lifestyle. Although, Will frequently spent a great deal of time in the library lately. The only remaining place of comforting solitude within the walls of the Institute was her bedroom. Eventually even her own bedroom felt claustrophobically suffocating. Tessa needed to busy herself to not drown in her mental conflictions. Jem helped to keep her mind away from her internal struggle. Jem and Tessa regularly took long casual strolls along the Thames River. Fresh air was pleasantly refreshing for her overwhelmed conscience. After living in London for nearly six months, Tessa Gray had explored a great deal of London thanks to James Carstairs.

Within one week, Magnus Bane often stopped by the London Institute to visit Will upon his personal request. He would never explain his strange behavior. Their business was completely hush hush. Even Magnus wouldn't spill any beans. 'I don't kiss and tell about my business dealings' was his response every time any of them pressed for details. Dammit! Why did Will insist on being a stubborn bastard to everyone who genuinely worried about his well-being _except_ Jem!? James Carstairs _definitely_ had some inkling about the _real_ reason behind Will's peculiarly erratic behavior. Charlotte refused to give up on her attempts to better comprehend William Herondale. Charlotte Branwell took it upon herself to understand the dynamically complex personalities of the five young wards living within the walls of her prestigious Institute. William wasn't the only person with an intensely stubborn personality in the London Institute. _Never_ underestimate the feisty determination of Charlotte Branwell!

William Herondale, James Carstairs, and Theresa Gray had formed a strangely complex relationship over the course of her stay at the London Institute. Over the past two months, James had grown romantic feelings for Tessa, but kept them buried deep down inside. Jem deeply cherished his beautiful friendship with her. He wouldn't ruin it by declaring his romantic feelings. Also, Tessa's romantic feelings were directed towards his _parabatai_. Despite Will's many attempts to push her away, she persistently made it her mission to slowly unravel the enigmatic mystery of William Herondale. There was a lingering darkness that viciously engulfed Will's soul. James refused to cruelly deny his _parabatai_ a chance of true happiness. Jem's "illness" made him truly appreciate the gift of life, but there was much uncertainty in his short life span. Tessa Gray didn't deserve to be widow at such a young age. Their complicated dynamics occasionally made their interactions uncomfortably strained as they cautiously walked on broken egg shells around each other. Never a dull moment for the three of them.

The day of the emergency council meeting came by faster than they expected. Their huge guest party has absolutely no idea of how Charlotte, Jessamine, Tessa, Jem, and their house staff intensely worked their arses off to spiffy up the London Institute for all them. If even _one_ of their guests _including_ Consul Josiah Wayland made one complaint or fussed about their living arrangements Charlotte would unleash her fiery wrath on them! Hell hath no fury like a blazingly enraged Charlotte Branwell. Many of the other Institute heads even Consul Wayland normally ignored her eccentric husband writing him off as incompetent or useless. It hurt Charlotte to hear such horribly cruel things said about her husband. No one saw Henry's incredible potential as a revolutionary inventor. His brilliant ideas would drastically transform how the future generations fought against evil forces threatening the safety of the mundane and Shadowhunters. Unfortunately, sometimes genius is only recognized and truly appreciated long after the person is dead.

Consul Wayland firmly insisted Charlotte not have Henry sit in on their emergency council meeting. All of the guests convened in the large dining room with Consul Wayland sitting at the head of the table. Charlotte Branwell sat to the right of the Consul. Widespread panic that had spread to the Council in Alicante. They immensely feared Mortmain's automaton army would attack other Institutes besides the London Institute. An immediate strategic protocol had to be established in case of emergency. The Magister was insanely dangerous madman who had to be stopped at all costs!

Will, Jem, and Tessa subtly eavesdropped on the emergency council meeting from the weapons room. It was directly located above the dining room. Will pulled the long Persian rug completely exposing the elegant marble floor. Drawing an Eavesdropping rune, he artistically glided his stele on the marble floor. Gently caressing Tessa's slender arm, he drew a Soundless rune on her lower forearm with his stele. She occasionally flinched but the painful burning sensation was temporary. His intense laser focus was the only thing keeping him from affectionately gazing at her face. Jem proceeded to draw a Soundless run on his right forearm. He quickly glanced over at his _parabatai_ , who busily drew the same rune on his own forearm completely oblivious to his current surroundings. It was as if William were silently eavesdropping on the emergency council meeting by himself. The intricate rune transformed the dense, dark marble floor to become translucent giving them a fantastic bird's eye view of the dining room. It was packed to full capacity with important Institute leaders even Consul Wayland. Jem and Will recognized some of the Institute leaders because they attended the London Institute's annual Christmas and New Year parties. The topic of discussion at this meeting was: Strategic planning of stopping Axel Mortmain, a raving psychopath and his demonic automaton army. Two and half hours, all of the Institute leaders couldn't come a consensus on viable tactics. Consul Josiah Wayland vigorously massaged his forehead while vexingly grimacing from the incessant bickering amongst the Institute leaders. Grown adults were acting like immature children. He had enough of it! The Consul officially ended the emergency council meeting for that day. Everyone would reconvene tomorrow afternoon when they'd gotten a good night's rest.

This session was only supposed to last for three days. Unfortunately, it dragged on for a week and a half. The house staff and London Institute residents were at their wit's end awaiting the departure of their 80 guests. There wasn't a moment of silent since the arrival of the guests. Almost every inch of the London Institute was bustling with hectic commotion.

William and Tessa longed to seek comforting solitude in the massive library, but it was always full of people. The four walls of their bedrooms had become their fortress of solitude. Unfortunately, cabin fever started to set in making them feel overwhelmingly claustrophobic. Will aimlessly roamed around London for several hours at end returning with a crazed gleam in his hypnotic blue eyes. He was quickly running out of Downworlder hotspots scattered around London. A few times, William sometimes even stumbled back to the Institute completely pissed. He practically reeked of absinthe. His _parabatai_ nursed him back to health every time. Tessa took advantage of the long stretches of downtime by learning more about warlock magic, excluding her ability to Change, with the help of her new warlock friend, Magnus Bane. Magnus was more than willing to provide his centuries of expertise on the matter of warlock magical abilities. Jem maintained his sanity by playing his violin for several hours every day. Hauntingly beautiful music came from his bedroom all hours of the day.

Spring had finally arrived but sun refused to shine its warm rays on them. Only non-stop rain showers ranging from light drizzle to torrential downpours. The dense fog didn't help either. The miserably dreary weather made any form of outdoor travel rather problematic. Tessa, William, and James were going stir crazy within the walls of the Institute. Any semblance of rational sanity was rapidly dissipating.

After the last group of guests exited the London Institute, Charlotte breathed a huge sigh of relief. She gave their entire house staff the next few days off as reward for their hard work during the emergency council session. Soothing silence echoed through the Institute. Everyone resumed their normal activities.

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 ** _I appreciate you supporting my story. Stay tuned for the next chapter! It will be set in March 1878!_**


	3. Part 1: Preparations

_**I'm having a blast writing this TID fanfic...it has challenged me to embark into unfamiliar, uncharted writing territory. There is always room to push myself to improve as a writer.**_

 _ **If you need a little refresher of the strangely fascinating world of Victorian London during 1878 refer back to the previous chapter.**_

 _ **So long story short...I intended to publish the whole chapter about the shenanigans that happened in March 1878 BUT the entire Word document is 20-ish pages in length and 13,000-ish total word count. So slight change of plans...I've decided to break up this VERY LONG chapter by dividing it into smaller portions. Every two weeks I'll be posting the next part of the extremely long March 1878 chapter.**_

 _ **Here's next chapter of To Duck or Not To Duck!**_

 _ **I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! Hope you enjoy my story! R &R!**_

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 **Part 1:** **Preparations**

 _March 1878_

 _London, England_

The next few days during breakfast, everyone was sitting in the dining room in mostly silence. Dropping two sugar cubes into her earl grey tea, she casually assessed the haggard appearances of her husband and four young wards. Even their house staff lethargically plodded the hallways of the Institute like mindless zombies going about their daily routines. Fatigue seeped deeply into her bones, but she refused to let it have any power over her. Sheets of paper were haphazardly scattered in front of Henry's spot at the dining table. Nothing could pull him out of his mind palace. Will and Jem wordlessly conversed with each other using only glances. Jessamine and Tessa stared at their plate indifferently poking at their now cold food. Neither of the girls had much of an appetite. Charlotte Branwell needed to stage an _immediate_ intervention. There needed to be an energetic revitalization within her household!

The dreary rain storms of last week has thankfully passed. The radiant sunshine welcomed Londoners into its warm embrace. It finally felt like March. The ladies' maids helped Charlotte, Jessamine, and Tessa put their winter outfits into storage and bring out their spring and summer dresses. Goodbye dark, drab colors...hello bright, vibrant colors! This thrilled Jessamine immensely. Her elaborately detailed gowns perfectly reflected her dainty personality. Her personal motto: A lady must _always_ dress to impress!

Mindlessly staring out of the window behind her desk in the library, Charlotte saw several young lovers gleefully stroll up and down the street with wicker baskets linked on their arm. No better way than to lift everyone's mood than having a tranquil picnic out in Hyde Park. Being outdoors in the warm sunshine, it would bring a smile to even the glummest person. She even extended an invitation to Magnus Bane, who happily accepted her offer. Charlotte hadn't told anyone, except Magnus, about her idea to have a picnic in Kensington Gardens.

During dinner that night, Charlotte decided to make her announcement to everyone. They ate in mostly silence with the occasional group conversations. Jem was animatedly discussing the three new pieces he composed last week with Tessa and Will, who hardly made eye contact with each other. Jessamine aimlessly stared off into space lost deep in her thoughts.

"I've come up with a new idea, Lottie! It's going to revolutionize how Nephilim fight Downworlders!" Henry enthusiastically declared. "It's called a Sensor. It will detect demonic activity. Low levels of demonic activity produces a weak blast of light, while high levels of demonic activity produces a bright burst of pulsating light. I've been industriously working away at the prototype design of the Sensor. It is more complicated than I expected. This intricate concept must be compact but disguised as a normal everyday object." All his ideas were revolutionary, yet in reality none of the invention's prototypes successfully performed its _intended_ purpose. Tightly controlling her facial expression to look supportive, Charlotte attentively listened to her husband's invention ideas.

Charlotte had temporarily hired a new cook after Agatha, their former cook, was brutally murdered by the Magister's automatons in the ambush attack on the London Institute. Everyone mourned the death of Agatha, but William took her death much harder. She had been there since William arrived at London Institute in 1874 at the age of 12. Agatha lovingly doted on Will as if he were her own son. She gluttonously spoiled him making Welsh comfort food sometimes in her spare time and for special occasions.

Sophie, a maid, distributed dessert entrees to each of them. Slices of spiced cider cake. Charlotte requested simple food for their meals, so not to further exhaust their temporary cook, Martha. No one complained about the meal selections. When mostly everyone had finished their dessert, Charlotte decided it was the best time to make her announcement. She grabbed the dinner fork and gently tapped it against the crystal wine glass. All heads turned to glance at her curiously.

"If I could have everyone's attention for a brief moment," she began. "I know we've gone through some dark times recently after Mortmain's surprise ambush on our Institute with his automaton army. There has hardly been time for us to properly mourn the tragic loss of our beloved Agatha and Thomas. Last week's emergency council didn't help lift our somber spirits. I thought it would be a good idea to do something fun outside of the Institute walls. The beautiful spring weather has finally arrived. It's the perfect weather for an outdoor picnic by the Serpentine Bridge in Kensington Gardens."

Jessamine's brown eyes gleefully light up at the notion of an outdoor picnic. Gloomy darkness enveloped the entire Institute for the past couple of months. The chance to feel the warm sunshine on her skin sounded wonderfully refreshing to Jessamine. Any opportunity to get out of the London Institute overjoyed her. Henry, Tessa, and Jem gave their nod of approval at her idea. Will merely shrugged with indifference. Vast majority rules. The next day, the entire house staff buzzed with delight about the picnic. It would do them all a world of good.

Their outdoor picnic by the Serpentine Bridge in Kensington Gardens was in _two_ days. Charlotte and Jessamine eagerly gathered all the items for their picnic. There needed to be enough food and refreshments for twelve people. Jessamine worked with Martha to ensure they had a variety of finger-foods and refreshing beverages, while Charlotte worked with the maids to collect enough blankets and lawn chairs. Ralph, their temporary fill-in for Thomas, and Zachariah, their other driver, made last-minute repairs to their two carriages.

Everyone else was doing their own things. Henry was locked away in his laboratory hammering away at viable design blueprints of the Sensor. Will morosely sulked in the library re-reading _A Tale of Two Cities._ Jem fine-tuned his violin. He planned on playing his new self-composed piece at the picnic. Tessa left the Institute for several hours to visit Magnus. Tessa discovered Magnus's cryptic note sitting on her dresser upon returning to her room after dinner. The cryptic note gave a time and address, most probably Woolsey Scott's flat, for their meeting the following day. She assumed Magnus was bored and wanted an excuse to hang out with someone besides his lover, Woolsey. She enjoyed interacting with the real world outside of the London Institute.

While tenderly waxing the dark mahogany surface of his violin, a startling revelation dawn on him. His _parabatai_ had been a social hermit the past few days. It all made sense why now. His eighteenth birthday was tomorrow. Since he was twelve, every year around the time of his birthday Will brooded more than usual. While the London Institute residents had become his family over the years, William Herondale hated not being able to celebrate his birthday with his parents and younger sister back in Wales. He abandoned his family upon deciding to follow in his parents' footsteps by becoming a Shadowhunter.

Church affectionately purred at Jem while brushing against his leg. The immortal cat took a strong liking towards James Carstairs. The extremely ill-tempered cat would scratch and bite everyone _except_ Jem. Church freely roamed the hallways of the London Institute. Everyone usually ignored the immortal cat in fear of incurring his bitter wrath. Jem found Church's presence soothingly comforting. They understood each other on a deeper level. He never truly understood the appeal of a personal pet until he rescued Church few months ago from Mrs. Dark black magic ritual. This gave him a brilliant epiphany!

James gently put the violin on his bed and dashed down the hallway to Tessa's bedroom. It was almost 11 o'clock at night. She should have returned hours ago from her visit with Magnus. Tessa Gray wasn't the type of person who stayed out odd hours of the night. He gently rapped on her bedroom door. No response. She must have already fallen asleep. He silently turned on his heels and proceeded to walk away. A loud crashing sound behind the door made him turn back around. Few moments later, the door cracked ajar. Grey irises stared back at him through the tiny crevice of space.

"Jem? What are you doing up at this late hour?" she inquired with a half-lidded sleepy gaze. James instantly felt bad for waking her up from her sleep.

"I didn't mean to awaken you. It can wait until tomorrow. It's nothing dire" he apologetically stated. She didn't have a chance to reply before Jem ambled away.

Halfway down the hallway, Tessa's bedroom noisily slammed shut. Jem didn't bother looking behind him. Hollow emptiness echoed through the long hallway. Standing in front of his bedroom, he reached for his doorknob when a slender hand grasped his shoulder. James swiveled around. Tessa's face hovered a few inches away from his face. Her stunning grey eyes deeply gazed into his silver eyes. The extremely close proximity to her made his heart race. He achingly longed to tenderly caress her elegantly oval face. James strongly fought this urge and took a step backwards to regain his emotional control. With his back pressed against the door, he tamed his racing heart beat with subtle deep breathes. Several minutes of silence passed between them.

"Tessa. You should go back to sleep. I didn't realize how late it was," Jem remarked with a tightly controlled facial expression.

"It's really not a problem. I'm having trouble sleeping anyway. My restless mind won't let me peacefully fall asleep," she clarified to mollify his guilty conscience. Her beige robe was partially open revealing a semi-diaphanous floor-length white nightgown. Slightly blushing, Tessa pulled the robe tighter around her slender body.

Jem opened the doorknob with one hand without taking his eyes off of Tessa. "We can talk privately in my bedroom," he suggested. He didn't entirely care how "inappropriate" it was to invite her in. It was better than remaining outside where anyone can easily walk past them. The house staff sometime lingered around the hallways late at night. No need to create unnecessary rumors when their interaction was purely platonic.

Politely holding the door open for her, Tessa brushed past him into his bedroom chamber. She sat down on the red velvety chaise located at the foot of the bed. Jem took a seat next to her leaving a little space between them. Gently placing her hand over his, she curiously inquired, "What did you want to tell me? Is this about Will?" Jem openly communicated with her about any concerns he might have about Will.

James Carstairs mentally organized his jumbled thoughts into coherent streams of thought. "It somewhat has to do with my _parabatai_. While I was waxing my violin, an epiphany about Will dawned on me. There is a logical reason to his overly sullen mood lately."

An amused glimmer flashed in her grey irises. "Does Will even need a reason to brood? Brooding is his signature style. Will has a dramatic flair." she mused sarcastically. Jem smirked at her accurate comment about his _parabatai_.

"There is truth to that. He does have a dramatically brooding flair," he remarked with a light chuckle. His smile instanteously faded away. "I almost forgot William's eighteenth is the same day as the picnic. It's the one of the few times during the years he thinks about his family back in Wales."

"I thought when you become a Shadowhunter one must cut association with their biological family?" Tessa Gray took her own initiative to learn about Nephilim history. Her bookworm habits made her crave more knowledge about the world whether it be from biographical or fictional literary works.

"That isn't the common case. Will's father willing choose to abandon his Nephilim life to marry a mundane. Despite exiling his family away from his former life, their children are still eligible to become Shadowhunters. There was one catch unfortunately. You must cut ties with biological family. This wasn't an easy decision for William," Jem clarified in a serious tone.

Tessa absorbed everything he told her. She never knew the real story about William Herondale's personal life. Will hardly talked about his home life let alone childhood memories. The only person he _wholeheartedly_ opened up to was James Carstairs. Jem saw the vulnerable side of Will.

"That actually makes sense. What do you guys normally do to celebrate birthdays?"

Jem contorted his face into an indecipherable expression. "We don't do anything to celebrate birthdays. Nephilim culture doesn't make a big deal of birthdays. It's not a significant milestone. The major milestones in a Shadowhunter's life includes their birth, first rune ritual, _parabatai_ ceremony, and funeral ceremony."

"That's horrible!" she gawked incredulously. "Life is very unpredictable. One's birthday every year is quintessential to celebrate!"

Jem merely shrugged. The shell-shocked expression never left her face. Mundane lifestyle was _drastically_ different from Shadowhunter lifestyle.

"It's time for things to change!" Tessa passionately exclaimed. "Change is good."

"I'm not sure Will would want us to throw a birthday party for him," he bluntly admitted in a neutral tone.

"Bollocks," she immediately blurted out before covering her mouth. It was extremely unlady-like to swear using vulgar profanity. "Will might not vocalize his desire for happiness in his life, but in time he'll come to appreciate what we did."

"I have a better idea."

Tessa arched a defiant eyebrow. "Better than throwing Will a birthday party?"

"Let's play a hilarious prank on him. I realize this might seem like very backwards logic."

"That's quite an understatement, Jem."

"Just hear me out. I swear you'll fall in love with my idea," James retorted.

Tessa skeptically regarded him. "Fine," she reluctantly replied. "Go on."

James Carstairs elaborated in detail the ingenious prank for his _parabatai_. Tessa finally came around deviously grinning from ear to ear. She suggested they get Magnus's help. Magnus Banes possessed a wide range of warlock magic to successfully pull of their prank.

It was a little past midnight. "It's getting late, Jem. I better go back to my room. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Meet me outside of the Institute around 10 o'clock right after breakfast."

Tessa and Jem rose from the red velvety chaise making their way towards the door. Like a perfect gentlemen, he politely escorted her back to her bedroom. Silence serenely echoed through the Institute hallways.

"Goodnight, Tessa. I'll see you tomorrow," he said while affectionately squeezing her hand.

"Good night. You're full of surprised James Carstairs." Tessa lightly kissed his cheek before retreating into her bedroom chambers. The dim lighting in the hallway concealed the slight blush coloring his cheeks. Jem happily strolled back to his bedroom.

Neither of them noticed Sophie, who was stealthily spying on them, hidden in the dark shadows of the hallway. Tessa Gray was completely blind to Jem's romantic feelings for her. This was obvious to everyone _except_ Tessa. Jem was always kind towards Sophie, who had a huge crush on him. She didn't want to see Master Jem's fragile heart broken by Miss Tessa.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, Tessa and Jem congregated outside on the steps of the London Institute. A brisk breeze blew while the warm sunlight radiated on their skin. Tessa send a smoke message to Magnus early that morning. He eagerly awaited their arrival. Zachariah parked the carriage outside gates of the Institute.

Luckily not too many Londoners were roaming the streets which hastened their arrival time. Magnus casually lounged on the stairs of Woolsey's flat. Pressed white dress shirt with a silver paisley waistcoat. Burgundy tight trousers. Classy black top hat. Magnus Bane made his own unique fashion statement. Actually, _he_ was fashion!

"James. Tessa." He enthusiastically welcomed them after they got out of the carriage. Tessa gleefully hugged her eccentric warlock friend. Jem briefly murmured directives to the driver. Zachariah nodded before the carriage pulled away. Jem pleasantly greeted Magnus.

"We need your help, Magnus," Jem nonchalantly expressed with a subtle devious smile.

Magnus caught a glimpse of Jem's conniving smirk. This would surely be interesting. "I'm at your humble service, Master Carstairs," he said with superfluously exaggerated courteous bow. Tessa rolled her eyes at Magnus's aggrandized gesture. His flamboyant personality never failed to surprise her the short time she'd known Magnus Bane.

Magnus escorted Tessa Gray and James Carstairs into his lover's residence. Woolsey had left early that morning to deal with Praetor Lupus matters. They had the entire flat to themselves _without_ Woolsey annoyingly prying in their business. The housekeeper brought a huge platinum tray with fine-boned china cups filled with earl grey tea and a saucer plate filled with cucumber sandwiches. Magnus politely offered his guests refreshments and light finger-foods. Tessa eagerly grabbed a couple cucumber sandwiches shoving them into her mouth in unlady-like fashion. The guys didn't care. Jem laid out his brilliant scheme as Magnus attentively listened while sipping his earl grey tea. By the end, his dark eyebrows had shot up to his hairline.

"I want to make sure I heard you correctly, James," Magnus drawled. Immense curiosity was heavily interwoven into each word. "You want me to temporarily cloak the disguise of an adorable duckling as a corgi puppy using an illusion spell. Last I checked your _parabatai_ is intensely frightened of ducks. Did William recently overcome his fear of ducks?"

"Nope. Still deathly afraid of mallards," Jem tersely commented.

Magnus wore an incomprehensible facial expression. "I'm thoroughly confused now. Why are you pranking William Herondale?"

"The past few months have been an especially dark time for my _parabatai_. I know my little prank seems cruel. The last time Will and I pranked each other was when we were young boys. One can't go through life _without_ some lighthearted moments. Will won't appreciate my prank initially, but many years down the road we can fondly reminisce about the days of our youth," he explained.

Magnus's skeptically gaze toggled between Tessa and Jem. He pondered about this proposition. He had become close to Will the past few months in helping him summon the demon Marbas. It was much easier said than done. Magnus Bane, a child of Lilith, and William Herondale, a child of Nephilim, had formed a mutual respect for one another over the past few months. The warlock didn't want to destroy his blossoming friendship with the morose Shadowhunter. He cautiously weighted the pros and cons. James Carstairs and Tessa Gray anxiously awaited the immortal warlock's response to their proposal. Several moments of nervous silence hung in the living room.

"I'm in. I'll help you with your little scheme," Magnus answered. "I'll face the consequences later. I do enjoy some mischievous adventures every so often."

"Thank you so much, Magnus!" Tessa exuberantly bellowed. "This is will be so much fun." Jem and Magnus hadn't seen her this happy since the whole ordeal with Axel Mortmain and his automaton army began many months ago. Her infectiously jubilant smile brightened up the entire room.

Jem, Tessa, and Magnus industriously went to work on their prank. He lent Woolsey's driver to Jem and Tessa to gather the ingredients required for the illusion cloaking spell. Magnus was tasked with acquiring a duckling. Piece of cake. There was difficult complexities to the illusion cloaking spell. The tricky thing about the spell was maintaining it for a long length of time _without_ the flawless illusion wavering. Luckily, it wasn't too complex of a spell to complete in the short amount of time before the picnic at Serpentine Bridge tomorrow afternoon. Within a few hours, Jem and Tessa returned to Woolsey's residence with all the spell's ingredients. Magnus had retrieved the duckling. Everything was there for the illusion spell.

"I'll complete the spell tonight. It shouldn't take more than two hours maximum. This is an easy spell," Magnus remarked with a nonchalant hand motion. "Don't forget to meet me here around eleven o'clock tomorrow morning. We'll head to Serpentine Bridge. No one will find it peculiar for us three to arrive together to the picnic."

Tessa and Jem nodded in agreement. Zachariah parked the carriage outside of the residence awaiting his passengers. Running around London searching almost every Downworlder shop, it had exhausted them. The sweltering spring heat didn't make it any better. They longed to return back to the London Institute. The ride back took slightly longer due to being stuck in evening road traffic. To pass the time, James and Tessa conversed about a variety of topics. They never ran out of things to talk about. Tessa appreciated how Jem wasn't afraid to lay bare his emotional vulnerability. He didn't mask his tumultuous confliction with a sarcastically witty personality like Will. It was an extremely refreshing change. James Carstairs and William Herondale possessed _completely_ opposite personalities. _Yin yang._ Yet, they made an incredibly dynamic _parabatai_ duo. A true force to be reckoned with. This conundrum never ceased to amaze her. She interacted with Will and Jem in entirely different manners. There was never a dull moment in her interactions with the two Shadowhunters.

* * *

It was 5:30 in the evening. Everyone congregated in the dining room. There were two empty seats at the table. Where were James and Tessa? They never missed dinner. It was dinner time when they returned to the London Institute. Jem and Tessa hastily made a mad dash through the hallways as their footsteps loudly echoed. They abruptly skidded to a halt in the tall, arched entrance of the dining room. Everyone's head turned to towards them.

"Did you two just only return back?" Charlotte beseeched.

Momentarily catching her breathe, Tessa convincingly lied, "I thought's we'd be back two hours ago, but it seems our errands out in the town took longer than expected."

"It's my fault we arrived back late," Jem admitted. "I thought we'd also take a relaxing stroll while out. The weather was absolutely beautiful." There was half-truth to the lie. It was practically impossible to remain angry with James Carstairs.

Charlotte's skeptical glare directed at them softened into her normal pleasant gaze. "It's not problem. A walk in these spring temperatures sounds lovely! Come and join us at the table you two. Martha is treating us to a Welsh dinner tonight in honor of William's birthday tomorrow."

Tessa hadn't seen Will this exuberantly cheerful in a long time. A giddy smile was plastered across his face and an electrifying sparkle in his dark blue eyes. Welsh food reminded him of his parents and younger sister. The good days of his childhood _before_ his life took a terrible turn for the worst. Releasing Marabas from the Pyxis box hidden in his father's study, the demon cursed young William Herondale. Also, his older sister tragically died as a result. Ever since he was twelve, he steadfastly believed anyone who loved him was destined to die because of his curse. He deeply cherished the good memories of his childhood growing up Wales.

Stuffed to the brim with delicious Welsh food, Tessa flopped on her bed still wearing her voluminous gown. Exhaustion seeped into her bones. It didn't even bother her. She had no idea how long she laid on her bed until a knock at her door snapped her back to reality. She rolled off the bed as her joints audibly creaked as an audible groan escaped from her lips. Not many people would be knocking this late at night.

She swung the door slightly ajar. "Jem?" she eagerly inquired.

The person standing in front of her was the last person she expected to see. Silvery blonde hair framed a delicate face. Haughty brown eyes bore into her grey eyes. A navy blue silk tea gown elegantly shaped her skinny frame. Jessamine Lovelace.

"Were you expecting Jem, Tessa?" she enunciated. A suggestive smirk temporarily replaced the permanent scowl typically plastered on her face.

Tessa caught the subtle yet scandalous implication of Jessamine's remark. Thankfully the dark shadows of her bedroom concealed the pink blush coloring her cheeks. "It's not like that, Jessamine. During dinner, Jem mentioned he might stop by to quickly tell me something. We're strictly friends...nothing else," Tessa explained avoiding direct eye contact with Jessamine.

She softly chuckled under her breathe. "I'm not sure Jem feels the same way."

"How the hell would you know how James Carstairs feels? You hardly spend much time with him to know his feelings..."

Sighing, Jessamine rolled her eyes. "I don't need to spend time with Jem to clearly see he has more than friendly feelings for you. It's pretty obvious from his lingering love-struck gazes whenever you he sees you walk into a room."

Tessa was becoming increasingly annoyed. "I don't have time for your melodrama right now. I'm no mood for your petty jealousy," she bluntly stated with a very serious facial expression.

She threw her head back in hearty laughter wiping tears from her eyes. "God you're absolutely blind the truth that's right under your nose!" Jessamine exclaimed with exasperation. "If you just pulled your head out from the clouds, you'd see what is right in front of you."

"What is it you came to tell me, Jessamine? I know you didn't disrupt me this late just to infuriate me," Tessa barked. Each word was laced with undercurrents of irascibility.

"I can't seem to recall actually," she remarked while contemplatively tapping her chin. "No worries it will come to me tomorrow." Jessamine gracefully turned on her heels taking few steps away from Tessa.

"Insolent girl," Tessa furiously muttered under her breathe proceeding to close her bedroom door.

Abruptly stopping halfway down the darkened hallway, Jessamine cautiously warned, "Tread very cautiously, my friend. Pick one of them. Don't drag it out unnecessarily and break both of their hearts in the process. You don't have the slightest inkling of how much James Carstairs and William Herondale deeply care about you. They're both emotionally fragile in their own way." She sauntered further down the hallway until the darkness completely enveloped her.

Tessa stormed back into her bedroom raging with fury after her unpleasant conversation with Jessamine. Sometimes, Jessamine's refined lady-like disposition was taken over by random lapses of unlady-like brazenness. Sophie didn't make any remarks about Miss Gray's unusually aggravated mood. Instead, she helped ready her for bed and promptly dismissed herself from the room. Tessa was now completely alone. Her exhausted body longed for sleep! Tessa fell fast asleep as soon as her head hit the soft pillow.

* * *

 _ **I appreciate your support of my story! Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	4. Shadowhunters in Wonderland!

**_I got inspiration for this chapter's quirky title from an episode of Ouran High School Host Club anime. The Sun, the Sea, and the Host Club is one of my favorite episodes! Also, I've recently been binge-reading Ouran manga volumes for the past few weeks. Oh wonderfully awesome nostalgia!_**

 ** _*Note: Shadowhunters in Wonderland is the UNOFFICIAL title for this chapter since this website isn't letting me fully type out the OFFICIAL chapter title when submitting this new chapter to To Duck or Not to Duck story.*_**

 ** _Without further ado, here is the next section of the very long March 1878 chapter!_**

 ** _I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! Enjoy! R &R!_**

* * *

 **Part 2: The Sun, the Serpentine Bridge, and the Shadowhunters**

 _March 1878_

 _London, England_

The sunlight streamed through the windows directly falling on Tessa's face. An audible groan escaped her lips as her hand instinctively shot out to shield her eyes against the bright rays of light. Warmly cocooned within the sheets, her sore body rebelled at the notion of leaving her comfy bed. A knock at the door forced her to finally crawl out of her bed. The neat plait from last night had become messily disheveled with several pieces of wavy brunette hair rebelliously sticking out. She vigorously rubbed her eyes. Opening the door, Sophie was mid-way frozen in the process of knocking on the door again.

"Good morning, Sophie," Tessa sleepily yawned. Her eyes were still adjusting to the morning light.

"I wasn't sure if you'd still be asleep. Miss Branwell wanted me to check on you since they are all waiting for you in the dining room. She insisted that breakfast wouldn't be served without you there," Sophie explained.

Eyes widened in full comprehension, Tessa dashed back into her room. She'd slept in later than expected. Now everyone was awaiting her arrival. Sophie followed few steps behind her grabbing some silky ribbons and a brush from the vanity table. Behind the dark tinted dressing divider, Tessa quickly changed out of her nightgown into an informal tea gown. Sophie unwove Tessa's long wavy brunette hair from the unkempt plait. Within fifteen minutes, Tessa Gray looked presentable to head down for breakfast.

She hurried down through the hallways skidding to an abrupt stop in entrance of the dining room. Five set of eyes fixed on her. Smoothing out the wrinkled tea gown, Tessa made unwavering eye contact with them. "I'm apologize for my tardiness," she profusely apologized to everyone. "I slept in longer than I expected. You didn't have to wait for me to start breakfast." The grandfather clock in the foyer loudly chimed ten times in a row. It was 10 o'clock in the morning.

"We weren't waiting long. No worries. Sit down and come join us, Tessa," Charlotte gently suggested gesticulating to the empty seat next to her.

The day of the picnic at Serpentine Bridge had finally arrived. The atmosphere during breakfast was jovial. Jessamine animatedly chattered away as Tessa simply listened not daring to interrupt her. Even Will, who normally sported a morose grimace, was genuinely smiling and laughing. Jem and Will merrily conversed amongst themselves. After their early morning training session, the boys headed straight to breakfast still in their training outfits. There was a crazy glisten in Henry's hazel eyes truly making him look like an eccentric mad scientist. He enthusiastically explained the incredible breakthrough in the blueprint design of the Sensor device. Even the house staff was jovially buzzing with excitement. After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways. Charlotte, Jessamine, and the house staff finalized the preparations for the picnic. Will headed out to run a personal errand promising to be back within an hour.

Tessa couldn't make up her mind between two outfits. Fuchsia silk taffeta sleeveless gown with intricate floral embellishments along the bodice and voluminous skirt. Teal blue muslin long-sleeved gown with ruffles. She decided on the fuchsia silk taffeta gown. It was too humid to wear any long-sleeved gown no matter if the dress material was very breathable in warmer temperatures. Sophie styled Tessa's wavy dark tresses into a dramatically voluminous up-do hairstyle. This hairstyle practically made it impossible to wear a hat with her outfit ensemble. Tessa hardly owned any make-up since she preferred a more natural look. Slipping her feet into matching fuchsia pumps, she stood in front of the oval mirror examining her entire ensemble. Only one thing was missing from her outfit ensemble: gloves. She slipped on dainty elbow-length white lace gloves. Tessa Gray was now ready.

In the drawing room, James Carstairs leisurely leaned against the ornate black marble fireplace. He was waiting for Tessa. The house was buzzing with activity in preparation for today's outdoor picnic, yet the drawing room was completely empty. Jem was completely absorbed in his thoughts to notice his _parabatai_ casually strolling into the room. William plopped down on the floral printed chaise couch settling into a comfortable position.

Stretching out his arms and tucking them behind his head, Will carefully observed Jem, who absentmindedly stared at the wall. "What's on your mind, James?" he curiously inquired.

Will's voice snapped James Carstairs back to reality. "How long have you been there?" he asked unintentionally deflecting the original question.

"Not that long really." Will lay on the chaise in a relaxing supine position.

"You're back early. I gather you were able to accomplish what needed to after breakfast."

Will indifferently sighed. "More or less."

He didn't further press for more details. There was tumultuous storm brewing in Will's dark blue eyes. Jem always knew his _parabatai_ had was hiding a dark secret from him. William would eventually open up to him in time. James Carstairs had his fair share of deep, dark secrets that no one but William Herondale knew. They had a strangely dynamic yet functional _parabatai_ bond.

Before Jem could say anything else, Tessa appeared in the entranceway of the drawing room. Will registered the presence of someone else in the room and shifted into an upright sitting position. Her radiating beauty _literally_ rendered the boys speechless. Jem dazzlingly beamed his signature smile as his silver eyes intensely sparkled. Unadulterated joy glittered in William's midnight blue eyes as a subtle grin formed on his face. Tessa dotingly smiled at the boys. William Herondale, James Carstairs, and Theresa Gray were obliviously unaware of their complex love triangle.

She broke the silence. "I'm ready whenever you are, Jem," Tessa tersely announced.

Will's face scrunched into an incomprehensible expression. "Where are you two going?"

"Charlotte asked us to grab some items around town for the picnic," Jem convincingly lied to his _parabatai_. Magnus was expecting them soon.

"Can I come along?" Will begged with a puppy dog pout. "Jessamine threatened to make me her personal slave for the final preparations of the picnic!" Despite his exaggerated melodramatic comment, it _definitely_ sounded like something Jessamine would do.

"Thanks for the offer, Will, but I think we can manage with this task. I'm sure Charlotte could use your help," Tessa immediately replied. "We best be off, Jem, _especially_ if we want to beat the morning traffic into town." She intentionally avoided direct eye contact with Will.

"Good idea, Tessa. We'll see you at the Serpentine Bride in a few hours, Will," Jem coolly responded. He sauntered towards Tessa. Polite offering his arm, she gently rested her lace gloved-hand on his forearm. They gracefully glided out of the drawing room towards the foyer area.

Will resumed his comfy, supine position on the chaise. His frock coat was delicately folded into a makeshift pillow for his head. He propped opened his battered copy of _Moby Dick_ and continued reading where he left off in the book. In his downtime, his nose was often buried in a book. Undoubtedly, William Herondale was an avid bibliophile.

* * *

Ralph parked the carriage outside of the iron gates of the Institute awaiting James and Tessa. Minutes later, they bustled out of the doors and stepped into the carriage. A traffic jam delayed their arrival to Woolsey's flat. Magnus anxiously paced back and forth in front of his lover's residence. Twenty minutes, the carriage momentarily stopped at the end of the block. Tessa and Jem propelled themselves out of the carriage, despite Ralph's persistent protests, dashing down the sidewalk to Woolsey's flat. Breathing heavily with sweat on their brows, they stopped a few feet from the warlock.

Crossing his arms across his broad chest, his golden green cat-slit irises irksomely narrowed at them. "You're late," he said impatiently tapping his long, slim fingers against the soft velvet of his deep purple frock coat.

Tessa caught her breathe while straightening out the creases in silk taffeta gown. Slightly leaning on his jade dragon-headed cane, James recovered his composure and adjusted his silver and black stripped necktie. "Our apologies, Magnus," he answered on behalf of them both. "There was a horrible traffic jam few block away that hardly moved for almost fifteen minutes. Our driver took an alternative route which took slightly longer."

"Come along you two. We have business to attend to...no time for dilly-dallying. Daylight is burning. You're in for a surprise!" Magnus melodramatically bellowed at Jem and Tessa. They fell a few steps behind the warlock.

"Wait in the living room," he tersely instructed them. The warlock disappeared down the hall. James Carstairs and Tessa Gray took a seat on luxurious chaise sofa. Either Woolsey or Magnus had redecorated the room since their visit the previous day. How the flat managed to perfectly reflect both of their personalities was a mind-boggling conundrum.

They heard an unusual sound coming from the hallway. Tiny scampering footsteps softly slapped against the marbled floor. Moments later an adorably fluffy Yorkshire terrier puppy ran into the living room. Casually leaning against the wall, Magnus reappeared in the entryway of the room observing their reaction. Grinning ear to ear, James picked up the fluffy puppy and gently plopped it onto his lap. Tessa affectionately cooed while stroking the Yorkie's soft fur.

"Your new puppy is absolutely adorable, Magnus!" Tessa squealed. The puppy jumped off Jem's lap and onto hers. Not wanting to rip the delicate silk taffeta material of her gown, Tessa gently held the adorably tiny Yorkie in her hands. The puppy merrily wagged its tiny, fluffy tail and licked her lace-gloved hand.

Jem nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Woolsey loves having a pet in his residence. It must sometimes get lonesome here with only you two."

An odd indecipherable expression flashed across her face. "Where's our duckling-turned-corgi?" she asked arching her eyebrow.

Magnus deviously beamed at her. "You're holding it."

She repeatedly blinked at her best friend. Jem questioningly glanced at the eccentric warlock. "This is a Yorkshire terrier pup, Magnus," Jem bluntly corrected the eccentric warlock.

"I made some _slight_ alterations."

"Slight?" she incredulously exclaimed in a shriller pitch. "Yorkshire terrier and Corgi are two _entirely_ different dog breeds!"

"I'm well-aware of that. I'm not a bloody idiot, Tessa," Magnus replied with a mildly offended glower.

"Why did you turn it into a Yorkie puppy? We specially asked for a Corgi puppy," Jem inquired in a neutral yet reprimanding tone.

He merely shrugged. "God don't get your pants in twist. There's always room for change. Also, Yorkie puppies are way cuter in my opinion. Not a huge fan of Corgi dog breed to be honest." Magnus took a seat on the extravagant chaise opposite to Tessa and James.

Her cheeks instantly flushed at his inappropriately crude statement. Jem arched his dark eyebrow at the warlock trying to come up with the right response.

Tessa opened her mouth to respond, but Jem abruptly cut her off. "Besides you rebelliously going against our _specific_ instructions, you accomplished the task nonetheless. I have no idea how you did it but this illusion is absolutely flawless. How long will this illusion cloaking spell last before it completely wears off?"

"Around 5-6 hours. I can always make a miniscule change to the spell if you want to shorten the length of time."

Tessa and Jem absorbed this tidbit of information. Everyone would most likely want to be at the picnic for as long as possible. It wasn't often they had the chance to leave the London Institute on non-business matters.

"Is the 5-6 hours timespan including right now? Tessa beseeched.

"Yes...so you have about 3-4 hours until the spell completely wears off. Then in a blink of an eye the Yorkie puppy will magically transform back into an adorable duckling."

"I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing my _parabatai_ 's reaction when it does," Jem replied with a conniving twinkle in his silver eyes.

"You are full of surprises, Master Carstairs," Magnus remarked with a smirk. "Best we be on our way to Serpentine Bridge. The gang will be awaiting our arrival."

Tessa arched her eyebrow in curiosity. "Charlotte invited you to the picnic?"

"It was her way of showing gratitude for slowly getting Will out of his shell. I didn't think he would open up to anyone else except his beloved _parabatai_. I was wrong." Magnus noticed the hurt lingering in her grey eyes.

"Since the day I met him when I was twelve years old, William Herondale has never ceased to amaze me," James commented with a warm smile.

"I think it is best we leave now while the streets aren't too crowded," Tessa nonchalantly remarked hiding her bitterness over William continually pushing her away.

Magnus buttoned up his black-and-white checkered waistcoat, fixed his lilac cravat, and smoothed out his deep purple velvety frock coat. "The carriage awaits us," he gaily beckoned towards the door with his free hand. The vibrant yellow circular box with the Yorkie puppy was securely tucked under his other arm. Tessa and Jem followed closely behind the warlock. Thankfully Woolsey's flat wasn't too far away from Hyde Park. It was close walking distance to the Serpentine Bridge. Yet, the carriage dropped the three of them off at the public entrance of Kensington Gardens.

* * *

Kensington Gardens was located on the west side of Hyde Park. The warm sunshine beat mercilessly beat down on Londoners with no chance of any cool breeze to escape the sweltering humidity. Magnus helped Tessa out of the carriage. Jem fell a few steps behind her. Then, he handed the bright yellow circular box back to Magnus.

Green lush grass covered the grounds. Ankle-length grass covered the sloping lawns. Beautifully colorful flowers blossomed on the trees lining the pedestrian walking path. The tall trees provided some shade and breeze. The gravel walking path edged near the clear blue pond. Young lovers walked hand-in-hand lovingly gazing at one another. Families spread out on the massive green lawn as children ran around without a care in the world. Everyone wanted to enjoy the beautiful spring weather after the miserably long winter season.

Magnus, Tessa, and Jem casually strolled through Kensington Garden to reach Serpentine Bridge. Every once in a while, they passed some smaller sections of secluded gardens. A wide array of gorgeous flowers in the colors of the rainbow lined the borders made out of manicured shrubbery and trees. They hastened their walking speed when Serpentine Bridge came into their view. This part of Hyde Park wasn't as crowded with Londoners. The gang congregated on the further end of the Serpentine.

Enthusiastically waving her arms at them, Charlotte hollered, "Tessa! Magnus! Jem!" She jumped up from the wooden lawn chair and ran towards them. Charlotte welcome each of them with a hearty embrace. She wore a simplistic sky blue muslin dress with diaphanous cap-sleeves. Her brown hair was plaited into a neat side braid making her look much younger than twenty-three.

"Sorry we're a little late. We got stuck in some road traffic on our way over here," Magnus explained.

"No worries. We were starting to wander where you three were." Then, Charlotte noticed the circular yellow box tucked under his arm. "That's so kind of you to bring a gift, Magnus!" she eagerly gushed.

Jem and Tessa silently exchanged alarmed gazes between themselves. Maintaining a neutral facial expression, Magnus tightened his grip on the circular box under his arm. "Sorry to disappoint you, Charlotte, but this is for William," he immediately interjected before she could grab the box away from him.

Tessa, Magnus, and Jem audibly breathed a sigh of relief. They narrowly avoided their ingenious scheme being foiled. Charlotte curiously arched an eyebrow at the warlock. "I'm sure whatever it is our Will is going to love it! C'mon you three let's go join the others."

Henry and some of the house staff were intensely engaged in a game of croquet. Sitting under a tree, Jessamine stretched out on a cotton blanket. She wore a lavish golden silk taffeta gown trimmed with overlapping layers of black and white lace along the elbow-length sleeves. Broad red velvet trim accented the bottom of the gown's voluminous skirt. Her long silvery fair blonde hair fell past her shoulders in tight curls framing her dainty facial features. Jessamine leisurely flipped through a women's fashion catalog frequently giving a running commentary on the dresses. A few of the female servants sat near Jessamine half-listening to her commentary. Other female servants competitively played card games amongst each other. Everyone was contently enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

Magnus and Tessa sauntered towards the rest of the group leaving Jem standing alone by Serpentine Bridge. Magnus gently handed the circular gift box over to him.

 _Where was William Herondale?_ Jem wondered. Will was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't sitting with the rest of the group. Upon closer examination, his _parabatai_ reclined his back against a tree a few feet away half-hidden in the cooling shade. Burying his nose in a book, Will was blissfully lost in his own world.

James Carstairs walked towards his _parabatai_. "Still reading the same book?" he enquired while casually leaning on his jade dragon-head cane.

Startled, William immediately glanced up and accidently hitting the back of his head against the tree. He winced in pain and massaged the back of his head. "Actually I'm almost finished with _Moby Dick_."

Jem sat down next to his _parabatai_ resting the circular yellow gift box in his lap and the cane on top of the box. Will's gaze fell on the bright gift box then back to Jem. "What's in the box?" he keenly inquired.

"Your birthday gift." Jem broadly smiled. "I know you said not to buy you anything, but I saw this while out in town. I just knew you'd love it." He handed the canary yellow gift box to Will, who eagerly snatched it from Jem's hands.

Will pulled at the fanciful ribbon and plucked off the top lid. A little ball of black and brown fur uncurled its tiny body and catapulted onto his chest. Carefully grasping the puppy in his hands, Will gently stroked it behind the ears with his thumbs. The puppy happily barked and licked his hand. He turned his gaze back to his _parabatai_. "A Yorkshire terrier pup?" A baffled expression flashed across Will's face.

"I never understood the appeal of a personal pet until I rescued Church months ago. There were times I felt completely alone, but that Persian cat's presence was soothingly comforting. It is as if we understand each other on a deeper level," Jem elaborated with a subtle smile.

Will snorted in amusement. "By the Angel the damn cat is a spawn of the devil. I have the bite marks and scars to prove it. Yet, it has taken a very strong preference to you."

"I know it is difficult for you to be emotionally vulnerable. Whenever you feel no one understands what you're going through, the Yorkie can provided soothing comfort and support. Animals can be the best form of therapy." Jem warmly clasped his hand on Will's broad shoulder.

"How very thoughtful of you, James. I couldn't have asked for more compassionate and wonderful _parabatai_. What would I ever do without you?" Overlapping his hand over Jem's, Will affectionately squeezed his hand.

"You are one of the strongest people I know. Ever since I first arrived to the London Institute, I knew I'd chosen the right person to be my _parabatai_. You're the closest thing I have to a blood brother. I can't bear to see you wallowing alone in your sorrow and suffering. Don't keep it buried down inside. You are _never_ alone, William Herondale. I'm _always_ here for you." Jem rose to his feet using the cane to balance on the downhill sloping ground. "I'll give you some alone time to play with your new pup."

Will watched his _parabatai_ walk away. He held the Yorkie puppy closer to his face to examine it. Its wide deep brown-black eyes stared back at him. A trace of sadness seemed to linger in its eyes despite its currently overjoyed state. Right then William felt he could learn to love his new puppy. "I'm going to name you Ella," he softly murmured. The Yorkie pup gleefully barked in response.

Jem plopped down on an available wooden lawn chair between Magnus and Henry. Magnus raptly listened to Henry non-stop chatter on about his progress on the Sensor. Sadly only the warlock _truly_ appreciated Henry Branwell for the innovative inventor he was. Absorbing the serenely beautiful scenery around the Serpentine Bridge, James Carstairs comfortably leaned back in the lawn chair.

Someone persistently jabbed his shoulder snapped him out of his hypnotic daze. "Earth to James Carstairs!?" Magnus shouted within close proximity to Jem's ear.

"I'm not deaf! I'd highly appreciate it if you didn't yell directly into my ear." He annoyingly glared at the warlock.

Running his fingers through his silky black hair, Magnus huffed in exasperation. "I've been trying to get your attention for almost ten minutes now! I didn't want to resort to extreme measures but I had no choice, James."

Jem merely rolled his eyes.

"The cloaking illusion spell will completely wear off within two and half hours," the warlock informed. "William is going to be blazing angry with us when he finds out we're behind this prank."

"It's almost impossible for Will to remain angry with me," Jem stated. "I'm more than willing to bear the consequences of my scheme. I have no doubt he will get back at me soon for my cruel prank. He'll thank me one day when we are old men ruminating about the wild adventures of our youth."

Magnus maintained a neutral facial expression. Will divulged the truth behind Jem's "illness" to him. Everyone knew James Carstairs was more than lucky the _yin fen_ hadn't killed him yet. No one expected him to beyond the age of fourteen. It was miracle he was still alive!

"Will won't be pleased we're playing on his immense fear of mallards."

A half-hearted smile disguised the deep sorrow lingering in Jem's bright silver irises. Semi-swiveling around in the lawn chair, he casually observed Will playing with the duckling-turned-Yorkie in an utterly carefree manner. Jem wanted to plant happy memories for his _parabatai_ to fondly reminisce upon. It agonizingly hurt to know he'd never get to have the full human experience. James Carstairs was destined to die prematurely young. William Herondale would spend the rest of his life mourning his beloved _parabatai_. A part of him would always feel excruciatingly hallow. Jem kept this heartbreaking awareness to himself never divulging it to anyone not even Will.

To lighten the somber mood, Magnus recounted stories of his exciting international escapades over the span of his immortal life. Henry and Jem riotously chortled.

"Oh the wild debauchery you engaged in while visiting Peru," Henry remarked while dabbing tears from the corners of his eyes.

"You're the most fascinating warlock I've ever met, Magnus Bane. Never a dull moment in your life. You can create your own thrilling adventures on a whim," Jem complimented between his wheezing coughs. Tears of laughter stung his eyes.

The sunlight harshly beat on them with pure humidity. Their hostesses glided towards them with them food and refreshments. Charlotte handed out glass cups filled with sweet lemonade. Jessamine passed out cloth napkins with slices of deliciously moist fruit cake. They ensured everyone was sufficiently hydrated and sated with scrumptious light-snacks.

* * *

 _ **I decided it would be very ironic if William gave the name Ella for the Yorkshire Terrier puppy.**_

 _ **How will Will react to Jem's little prank? Melodramatic antics are GAURANTEED to occur! :P**_

 _ **I appreciate your support for my story! Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	5. Part 3: Magical Mischief Ensues!

**_I've completely finished writing this TID fanfic. There are two chapters left before I conclude To Duck or Not to Duck! I continually strive to maintain the accuracy of all major and supporting minor characters in this story. _**

**_Here's the next section of the long March 1878 chapter!_**

 ** _I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! Enjoy! R &R!_**

* * *

 **Part 3: Magical Mischief Ensues!**

 _March 1878_

 _London, England_

 _The Serpentine Bridge_

Jem, Tessa, and Magnus joined Will in adoringly playing with the Yorkshire terrier pup. They had to convincingly execute their prank. No suspicion must be detected otherwise it would terribly ruin their brilliant scheme.

The Yorkie terrier merrily accepted their affectionate attention. Tessa watched as the three boys engaged the puppy in an interactive game of fetch with a leather tennis ball. The refreshing lemonade sated her thirst as the sun mercilessly beat down. Her fuchsia silk taffeta sleeveless gown wasn't exactly the most breathable material in this miserable humidity. Sometimes you had to endure much suffering to be a fashionably dressed woman in Victorian society. The boys hardly noticed her departure when she went to comfortably sit under shade. Tessa joined in on a card game with Charlotte and the female house staff. Having a brother who had a serious gambling problem, Nate made it his mission to teach her a variety of card games when she was a young girl. Her aunt Harriet highly disapproved of such unladylike behavior.

Two and a half hours easily flew by when the gang were having a blast enjoying the beautiful warm spring weather. You could hardly tell any of them had been rather melancholy the past few weeks. Their sullen spirits had been dramatically lifted with this tranquil outdoor picnic. Everyone had a giddy smile plastered on their faces.

Jem dozed off comfortably leaning back in the wooden lawn chair with a wide-brimmed top hat covering his entire face. Magnus and Tessa leisurely sprawled on blanket conversing about basic warlock magic while playing a card game. A blood-curdling scream ripped through the air immediately drawing everyone's attention. They directed their intrigued glances in the direction of the horrifying shriek. It came from William Herondale, who lay on the ground in a semi-fetal position. No one but Tessa Gray, Magnus Bane, and James Carstairs knew the _real_ reason for Will's overwhelming panicked reaction. They strongly fought the urge to break out in devious smirks giving away their cruel yet hilarious prank.

Charlotte hurriedly rushed towards to Will kneeling next to him soothingly stroking his back. Tremors rippled through his entire body as it remained in a semi-fetal position. Terror glazed over his midnight blue eyes in a wide-eyed gaze which stared off into distance. Everyone else watched from afar trying to figure out what was unfolding in front of them. Nothing easily frightened the arrogantly sarcastic William Owen Herondale.

After few moments, Will somewhat regained his composure slowly rising to an upright sitting position. Remnants of terror lingered in his irises as his body still slightly trembled. Ten set of curious eyes intently fixed on Will causing him to awkwardly shift turning his back against them. With a comforting hand on his broad shoulder, Charlotte tenderly said, "Ignore them and just look at me. What happened, Will?"

He took a deep breath then his dark blue eyes focused on her. "I don't know...it all happened so fast. One moment it was Yorkie terrier pup then poof it transformed into my _worst_ nightmare. Next thing I knew I was holding a bloody _duckling_!"

Charlotte wore a baffled expression unsure of how to respond. Will was known to have a vividly overactive imagination. An overactive imagination combined with severe lack of sleep can result in strange hallucinations.

William could clearly tell that she thought he sounded like a barking madman spouting nonsensical babble. "I'm not crazy I swear!" he emphasized with conviction. "I heard quacking within close range startling me. Immediately I scanned my surroundings to find the direction of the sound. I averted my gaze for one bloody moment before the horrific realization dawned on me. I was no longer holding a Yorkie terrier puppy. Blimey, there was now a duckling frenetically wiggling in my hands."

"Everything will be alright, dear," she soothing assured in a neutral tone. "Don't freak out remain calm."

"I can't remain calm," he burst out while exasperatedly running his hand through his hair. "How the hell is that possible!? Even you saw the adorable Yorkie pup I was playing with. Puppies don't suddenly transform into a duckling!"

An adorable duckling with yellow and grey fur clumsily waddled over towards Charlotte and Will. She instinctively cooed at it while crawling on her hands and knees towards the baby duck. Will's reaction was _completely_ opposite. He frantically scooted away until his back smacked against the dense tree trunk. Hugging his knees tightly to his chest, William distrustfully narrowed his gaze at the grey-and-yellow furred duckling. Gently cradling the duckling in her hands, Charlotte turned around to find him malevolently glaring at the baby duck. She inched closer to Will with the duckling cradled in her petite hands.

"Get that bloodthirsty little beast away from me! I'll _never_ trust a duck!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Don't be unnecessarily melodramatic, William. This adorable duckling is completely _harmless_." She stretched out her arms and held the baby duck several inches from his face. It softly quacked before successfully wriggling out of her loose grasp and plopped right onto his lap. He yelped and instinctively scampered away from the tree trunk. His wide eyes intensely fixed on the yellow-and-grey furred duckling as it struggled to regain its balance.

His panicked frenzy was drawing many intrigued glances from other people sitting nearby in their vicinity. Charlotte let out a resigned sigh. She would tirelessly work on ridding William Herondale of his intense fear of ducks but right now wasn't the best place nor time. Scooping the fuzzy duckling into her hands, she rose to her feet and sauntered towards the rest of the group. Charlotte lightly placed the baby duck into the shallow pond water.

She plopped down in the empty wooden lawn chair between Jem and her husband. "There's seriously never a dull moment with our William," she quipped wiping beads of sweat from her brow.

Henry gave his wife's slim hand a tender squeeze. "I don't think he will ever overcome his fear of ducks, dear. Any efforts to try to rid his immense fear of mallards is essentially futile."

Jem skillfully concealed his amused chortling as an intense coughing episode. Tessa gently patted his back. He wiped away the tears of laughter before anyone noticed them. His breathe came in sharp wheezes. Also, Magnus and Tessa struggled to stifle their smirks and snickering from everyone else. The struggle was very real for them. Placing his wide-brimmed black top hat back on his head, James Carstairs rose from the wooden lawn chair. He straightened his navy blue waistcoat and black and silver striped necktie. "I'll talk to my _parabatai_. Some fresh air would do him some good so we'll leisurely walk back to the Institute."

Blanketed under the tall tree's shade, his _parabatai_ hugged his knees tightly hugged to his chest as his trembling body rocked back and forth. Jem insistently tapped the jade dragon-head cane against Will's leg. This garnered his attention. Peering through a curtain of black hair, his midnight blue eyes focused on Jem, who imposingly towered over him. "You okay?"

William contemplated how to response to properly convey his borderline panic attack. Coherent phrases failed to form. There was a major disconnect between his brain and mouth. He simply shook his head.

Carefully lowering himself to the ground on the downward sloping hill, the jade dragon-head cane rested on Jem's lap. "You'll be fine, William. Let's take a stroll and get some fresh air."

James Carstairs knew how to handle the brooding William Herondale. Sarcasm was his method of camouflaging his true emotions. Will didn't easily open up to just anyone. Jem was the special exception.

Will uncurled his body and slowly rose to his feet holding the tree trunk for balance. His legs were still unstably shaking. He brushed off the dirt and grass blades from his clothes. Running his slim fingers through his messy hair, William sucked in a deep breathe to calm his racing pulse. He regained his overall composure.

"On the way back, we should pay a visit to six-fingered Nigel. I'm sure that will cheer you," Jem jokingly added with a hearty chuckle. Flashing a chagrined expression at his _parabatai_ , William lightly punched Jem's shoulder.

The boys politely bid farewell to everyone before strolling towards the Serpentine Bridge. The miserable humidity no longer beat down on them. It was replaced with a refreshingly cool breeze. The evening was young and the bright sun still shone in the powder blue sky. William and James took a smidge detour by embarking on an ambitious pub crawl before returning to the London Institute. Everyone else wouldn't be leaving Hyde Park anytime soon especially on such a beautiful spring day. Charlotte normally didn't have a problem with them staying out late. There was one condition: don't disturb the sleeping residents within the walls of the Institute.

* * *

 _ **How will William react when he finds out his close friends are behind the prank?**_

 ** _I appreciate your support for my story!_** _ **Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	6. Part 4: Drunken Confessions

**_There is only ONE chapter before the conclusion of To Duck or Not to Duck! _**

**_Here's the next section of the long March 1878 chapter!_**

 ** _I'd appreciate your constructive feedback! Enjoy! R &R!_**

* * *

 **Part 4: Drunken Confessions**

 _March 1878_

 _London, England_

It was a little past midnight when Will and Jem clumsily stumbled into foyer of the London Institute. They were quite pissed. Severely unkempt wrinkles creased their dapper outfit ensemble. Mixture of unpleasant odors emanated from their frock coats. Their breaths overwhelmingly reeked of whiskey and absinthe. Jem heavily leaned on his jade dragon-head cane for support, while Will's hands feverishly sought the mahogany wood-paneled walls for support. These were the only reason either of the boys remained somewhat upright.

"Six-fingered Nigel is a bloody scoundrel yet you can't help but love that sly bastard," William ineloquently blurted. The boys' guffaw echoed through the high-ceiled hallway leading up to the semi-spiral staircase.

Will and Jem abruptly silenced their boisterous cackling not wanting to wake up anyone in the household. Loud sounds would easily reverberated throughout the entire Institute if they weren't careful. Neither of them wanted to face Charlotte's wrath. She was very lenient about their late night debauchery.

Proceeding to walk towards the staircase, Will's feet awkwardly stumbled over each other as he lurched forward, but Jem managed to pull him back just in time. William draped his arm around Jem's shoulders to sturdy himself. "Neither of us are in any condition to attempt stairs right now," James quipped with a slight slur.

William hiccupped. "The drawing room isn't that far...it's only twenty feet away," his _parabatai_ suggested. His tangled black hair was drenched with sweat as some strands were plastered to his forehead.

"Good idea, Will. I don't think I have enough energy to walk upstairs to my bedroom. Lead the way."

Will unraveled his arm around Jem's shoulder and reach out for the wall to support him. Will's feet maladroitly propelled forward as his _parabatai_ followed a few paces behind him. Despite almost falling over a few times, the two boys managed to walk to the drawing room. The space was bathed in darkness with the exception of the moonlight reflecting through the Georgian-style windows. They hardly noticed Tessa sprawled fast asleep by the fireplace. Her body was comfortably curled by the roaring fire. There was a leather bound book loosely gripped in one hand.

Will and Jem inelegantly plopped on the chaise chairs. Struggling to remove their shoes, they boys stretched out on the chaise. Their wrinkled frock coats became a makeshift pillow for their head. Exhaustion seeped into their bones sapping whatever energy was left in them. Unfortunately sleep wouldn't come easily to them.

Loudly sighing, William shifted to an upright position. "Jem," he called out to his _parabatai_. "Thanks for tonight. No one gets me like you do. You say and do the right things to cheer me up. I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with." His voice level was louder than Will realized. An inebriated slur was unmistakable.

Startled by the loud sound, Tessa Gray suddenly stirred awake as her eyes slowly adjusted to the nearly pitch darkness of the room. She sensed the presence of someone else in the drawing, yet couldn't actually see them.

Jem opened his mouth to speak but promptly closed it upon hearing creaking and rustling sounds coming near the fireside. "Do you hear that, Will? I think someone else is in this room with us."

Will's sharpen senses weren't as on point when he was very drunk. "Don't be silly, James. It just the usual noises you'd hear late at night. We're the only two people in this room."

* * *

Tessa's ears honed on the voices of the two other people in the drawing room. She could have sworn she was all alone before she lightly nodded off. No idea how long she had fallen asleep which meant anybody could have come into the drawing room _without_ seeing her by the fireplace. "Who's there?" Tessa softly drawled groggily rubbing her eyes.

Jem jolted into an upright sitting position as his pulse raced. Will sucked in a sharp gasp. The gentle female voice startled the two boys. Their eyes widened in alarm. None of the house servants would be lingering around here _especially_ this late at night. That left three possible options: Jessamine Lovelace, Theresa Gray, and Charlotte Branwell. Jessamine and Tessa wouldn't be a problem. If Charlotte was in this very room, she'd unleash her fiery wrath on them. Neither William Herondale nor James Carstairs knew how to respond. Their presence had been detected. They couldn't stealthily sneak upstairs not in their intoxicated state. It was best they identify whether Charlotte, Jessamine, or Tessa was in the room with them.

"Charlotte?" Will nervously implored.

"Jessamine?" Jem cautiously added.

Realization suddenly dawned on Tessa Gray. The two male voices belonged to none other than her two friends, William Herondale and James Carstairs. "Jem? Will?" she incredulously countered. "It's me Tessa."

The boys audibly sighed a breath of relief. Tension drained from their rigid, motionless bodies. Tessa crawled away from the warm hearth and towards her friends. She tightened the beige cotton robe to completely conceal her diaphanous nightgown. Situated directly in between the two chaise couches, she closely examined Will and Jem as best she could. The two boys could see her well enough despite the near pitch darkness. They bolted off the chaise couches and clumsily eased themselves on the floor. Tessa was tightly wedged between her two friends.

She proceeded to open her mouth before a horrendous stench invaded her nostrils. _Where the hell was this stink coming from?_ Her eyes widened in horror upon the realization the fetor was emanating from her two friends. Their frock coats reeked of sweat, industrial smog, cigar smoke, and a plethora of other bad odors. The most prevalent of the bad odors was unmistakably alcohol. After a night of decadent debauchery, her older brother, Nate, stumbled into their small New York apartment very intoxicated along with reeking of cigarette smoke and flowery women's perfume.

"You're both completely _plastered_!" she bellowed in utter disbelief.

Will sat behind Tessa, while Jem sat in front of her. Any further words from Tessa were muffled when he firmly clasped his hand over her mouth. They couldn't wake up anyone in the household _especially_ Charlotte.

"Bloody hell, woman. Keep your voice _down_!" William chided her with a distinctive slur. "Don't wake up the _whole_ house!"

"I just remembered something bleedin' hilarious, Will" Jem quipped.

His _parabatai_ turned his attention away from Tessa to Jem. Will's hand was still clasped over Tessa's mouth. His deep blue eyes silently beseeched Jem to elaborate. There was devious twinkle in Jem's silver irises. This very much intrigued Will.

"You'll have to promise you won't get angry with us," Jem emphasized his one condition. Arching a dark eyebrow at him, "Us?" Will inquired with a confounded expression.

"I miss the days we pranked each other when we were young boys growing up here in the London Institute. There has been a gloomy cloud over the Institute since the aftermath of Mortmain's ambush on our Institute with his automaton army. I wanted to do something that would cheer you up and bring a smile to your face. You might not see the hilarity of my prank right now but one day you will. I want to be remembered by happy memories not memories swirling around my debilitating 'illness'."

Tessa wore a baffled expression trying to make sense of Jem's words. He usually internalized his _true_ emotions regarding the _yin fen_ drug drastically shortening his expected lifespan. Jem was most definitely sloshed to speak openly about this.

"Magnus was kind of enough to help us with our little prank. Despite his mad eccentricity, the warlock is quite impressive..."

Tessa caught drift of what he was confessing and somehow managed to rip Will's hand off her mouth. "Don't say any more, Jem! Now's not the best time..." she blurted out.

Will became even more intrigued with Tessa's random outburst. His hand promptly covered over her mouth silencing her. "Don't you know it terribly rude to interrupt someone when they're talking? I'll remove my hand if you promise no more disruptions," he harshly admonished her. "Continue please, Jem."

Tessa nodded and Will moved his hand away from her mouth.

Jem hiccupped. "I know you immensely fear ducks," he continued.

" _Understatement_ ," William emphasized with conviction. " _Never_ trust a duck, my dear _parabatai_."

"Anyway. Magnus offered to join in on our mischievous prank. He used an illusion spell to temporarily cloak the appearance of an adorable yellow-and-grey fuzzy duckling as a Yorkshire terrier puppy..."

"It was supposed to be Corgi, but Magnus detoured from our original plan," Tessa unintentionally added. She immediately became quiet while awkwardly staring down at the floor.

Neither Tessa nor James made direct eye contact with Will.

Full comprehension gradually dawned on William Herondale. "Us" implied Magnus Bane, Tessa Gray, and _his_ James Carstairs. Will unsteadily bolted to his feet stumbling backwards onto the chaise. His baffled facial expression rapidly transformed into an incensed expression. His dark blue irises narrowed and intensely glowered at them.

Pushing himself off the chaise, Will angrily towered over Tessa and Jem. He tightly crossed his arms across his broad chest. "You treacherous bastard!" he snapped, raising his voice. Tessa flinched at his livid outburst. Jem knew this was directed at him _not_ Tessa. "You call making my absolutely worst nightmare a reality a _prank_!? How the bloody hell is that supposed to cheer me up? I expected anybody else to carry out such a cruel prank but not _you_!"

Jem rose to his feet and firmly planted his feet in front of Will. He managed to make direct eye contact with his _parabatai_ without recoiling back a few steps. "Please lower your voice, Will," he softly pleaded. "One day when you're an old man you'll fondly ruminate on your wild adventures as a young lad and laugh at this little prank. I don't want you to remember me as frail and sickly." He gingerly placed his hand on Will's broad shoulders. Will swatted Jem's hand away flashing an enraged scowl at him.

William pushed past James and navigated around Tessa, who remained seated on the floor. Grabbing his shoes and creased frock coat, he swiveled on his heels and inelegantly stomped out of the drawing room.

Tessa frantically hurried to her feet accidently bumping to Jem in the process. "Will! Where do you think you're going? Let us help you."

Will abruptly stopped in the tall arched entryway of the drawing room and turned around. His midnight blue eyes brightly burned with fury in the near pitch darkness that enveloped the drawing room. "I can barely stand to look at you two. You're both horrible friends! I don't need your help! I'll manage going upstairs to my room on my _own_!" He swerved around and disappeared down the dark hallway using the wooden-panel walls to stabilize his uncoordinated, drunken balance.

* * *

 _ **What will be the aftermath? Can Will forgive his friends for this cruel prank?**_

 ** _I appreciate your support for my story! Stay tuned for the LAST chapter of To Duck or Not To Duck._**


	7. Part 5: The Aftermath

**_I've had a blast writing this The Infernal Device story!_ **_**This story has challenged me to tackle historical fiction which definitely had it difficulties but there is always room to improve as a writer!**_

 _ **I'd like to thank two people in particular: Rachael and Sasha. Rachel inspired me to write To Duck or Not To Duck while we casually chatted about the fascinating character in TID series (especially between Tessa, Will, and Jem). Sasha helped me with the research required to properly capture Victorian London during 1878 in the story. Thank you both so much!**_

 _ **Here's the LAST section to the long March 1878 chapter! **_

**_This it the CONCLUSION to To Duck or Not to Duck. _**

_**I'd appreciate your constructive feedback! Enjoy! R &R!**_

* * *

 **Part 5: The Aftermath**

 _March 1878_

 _London, England_

Tessa Gray and James Carstairs silently exchanged worried glances. It was past one o'clock in the morning. There was very little energy left in Jem, who started to unstably sway on his feet. Tessa swiftly wrapped her slender arm around his waist, encouraging him to lean on her for support. "It's really late. We should head upstairs. Sleep would do us a world a good _especially_ you, Jem."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Jem gripped onto the jade dragon-head cane with his free hand using it to leverage more stability. They slowly proceeded out of the drawing room and down the long hallway towards the semi-spiral staircase. Despite her dainty, tiny stature, Tessa possessed enough strength to maneuver both of them upstairs.

They passed down the hallway very quietly not to wake up the other sleeping residents. Will was nowhere to be seen. He must have somehow managed to go to his bedroom. James's bedroom was at the end of the long hallway. He wanted to walk by himself to his room, but she insisted on following a few paces behind. Jem pushed opened the heavy mahogany door almost falling over a couple times. Reluctantly dragging his feet across the carpeted floor, he clumsily sprawled across the plush bed sheets. Tessa took a few steps away from the bed before his hand firmly caught her wrist.

His silver eyes deeply bore into her grey eyes. "Would you mind staying with me?" he innocently beseeched. "I don't want to be alone tonight."

Jessamine's words echoed in her mind. _What if James Carstairs did have romantic feelings for me?_ The darkness hid the rosy flush in her cheeks. "I don't think that's a good idea, Jem. I'll just stay until you fall asleep."

Jem slightly shifted his body to make space for Tessa. Crawling onto the bed, she awkwardly scooted next to him but not too close. Not a clue of what to do with her hands she folding them in her lap. Her head comfortably rested against the pillow.

"Did Will and I miss anything exciting when we left the picnic?"

She paused for a moment recalling the last few hours of the Serpentine Bridge picnic in Kensington Garden. "Hmm...not really. Magnus showed off some of his magical abilities captivating the attention of everyone."

Jem lightly chuckled. "Never a dull moment with the Magnus Bane. William and Magnus have one thing in common: a dramatic flair for everything they do."

"That's quite an _understatement_. They're like walking one-man theatrical shows," she added with a hearty laugh. She gently rested her head against his shoulder.

The laughter in his eyes quickly dissipated. Worry and sadness emanated from his silver irises. He didn't verbalize his concerns, yet Tessa knew his thoughts dwelled on his _parabatai_.

Gently placing her hand over his, she gave it a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry, Jem. Will just needs some space and time to fizzle down. He'll be back to his usual self soon enough," Tessa reassured him.

Jem deeply sighed. "This is the first time William has truly gotten angry with me. It's usually impossible for him to remain angry with me."

To take Jem's mind off of his distressingly conflicted thoughts, Tessa talked about the new fascinating things Magnus had taught her about warlock magic. He taught her that the sky's the limit when you're immortal. He gave her his undivided attention.

Fatigue seeped into their bones and rapidly overtook their body. It wasn't long until Jem and Tessa fell fast asleep from their very long and eventful day. They'd deal with Will's wrath tomorrow.

* * *

The morning sun streamed through the window enveloping the room in bright light. A ray of sunlight beamed right on his face rousing him awake. The moment his eyes fluttered open a raging migraine viciously pounded in his head. The hangover was beginning its powerful, malicious assault on James Carstairs. He was _seriously_ regretting drinking copious amounts of absinthe and whiskey last night. Jem vigorously massaged his throbbing forehead with his fingertips.

Realization suddenly dawned on him: another person's body warmth curled up against the length of his body. Tessa rested her head against his chest. His other arm splayed along her upper back. A light blush spread to his face. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore his feelings for Theresa Gray.

Her sleeping body twitched awake enjoying the rays of the morning sunlight warming her backside. Groaning, she uncurled her body as joints audibly creaked. Several strands of hair had fallen out of her braid and onto her face. Half-lidded eyes groggily gazed at Jem. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, awareness of her close proximity to his body suddenly registered with her. Awkward tension hung between Tessa and Jem.

Neither knew what exactly to say to not make things more awkward.

Tessa broke the long stretch of silence. "What time is it?" she asked with a drowsy yawn.

Pulling out a pocket watch from his waistcoat pocket, Jem examined the clock face. The golden pocket watch had intricate Chinese characters carved around the clock face. The Carstairs family crest embellished the back. "Around 9:15 am."

Her grey eyes widened in alarm. "Goodness gracious!" In a flash, she bolted off the bed and towards the bedroom door. Standing in the half ajar door, Tessa explained, "If I'm not back in my room Sophie will simultaneously be worried and suspicious. Once she's gone, I'll come back to check on you before heading down to breakfast." She dashed out of the room into the hallway. The morning sunlight bathed the dark mahogany hallway.

Tessa didn't notice another person standing in the hallway. Jessamine stood outside of her bedroom on the other end of the hallway. Puffy dark circles hung under her brown eyes. Insomnia had plagued her beauty sleep for almost a week. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Tessa Gray, who looked disheveled, snuck out of James Carstairs' bedroom and sprinted back to her own bedroom. Her manicured eyebrows shot to her hairline. _Very interesting. The plot thickens._

The relentless migraine continued pounding in his head. Jem rolled over burying his face into the pillow. If he wasn't battling a raging hangover, the bright sunlight streaming into his bedroom would bring a smile to his face. Each new day meant it was another day he was alive. Each day was a blessing to him.

Breakfast that morning was very strange. A cheerful spirit replaced the somber spirit that formerly lingered around everyone. Almost everyone gushed about how wonderful the Kensington Garden picnic was. Two people remained completely silent the entirety of breakfast. Will and Jem. In fact, they hardly even looked at each other. Being polite, Charlotte didn't enquire about this strange behavior. The two boys usually chattered away amongst themselves as if they were the only two people in the dining room.

Tessa was the last person to leave table. Her mind was too distracted on other things she hardly noticed Charlotte appear behind her. Gripping onto her arm, Tessa softly yelped out. "I didn't mean to startle you, Tessa," Charlotte began. "I just wanted to know if you what's wrong with our Will and Jem. They were acting quite peculiar this morning. I know you're close with them."

A light blush colored her cheeks even though Tessa knew Charlotte's implication was innocent. Recovering from her momentary embarrassment, she shook her head in a disaffirming manner. "I honestly have no clue, Charlotte," she convincingly lied. "Just give it some time they'll return back to their normal selves." Charlotte wouldn't understood if she told the real reason behind their "peculiar" behavior.

* * *

The next two weeks, William Herondale gave Tessa, Magnus, and his _parabatai_ the cold-shoulder. He refused to spend time let alone be around any of them. All of their attempts were utterly futile and a waste of energy. Will shrunk into his own introverted cocoon. He shut _everyone_ and _everything_ out. Will hardly ventured outside of the Institute. Majority of his time was spent either in the training room or library.

Life returned into the normal swing of things after a month or so. On rare occasions, remnants of anger over their traumatizing duck prank would flare up in his piercing blue eyes. Otherwise you could hardly tell he was even remotely furious at Magnus Bane, Theresa Gray, and _especially_ his beloved _parabatai_ ,James Carstairs. Will's witty sarcasm returned in full force along with his usual brooding habits. William Owen Herondale was back to himself. Everyone in the London Institute went about their normal business.

* * *

 _ **Thank you everyone for supporting my story!**_


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